Process of making talking-machine records.



I T MFWTWM.

JOHN KAISER, 0F IWEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF MAKING TALKING-MACHINE RECORDS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN KAIsER, a c1t1- zen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented an Improved Process of Making Talking-Machine Records, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to talking machine records and its object is to provide a superior record by an improved mode of operation, involving the production of an original record by electrolysis.

In the practice of my improvements in the preferred form and as heretofore carried out, I take a copper disk which I'coat with a thin film of material, such as a composition of five parts of liquid asphaltum and one part of dragons blood. The disk provided with this film, which has been permitted to become firm, is revolved in contact with a recorder having its diaphragm operated by sound vibrations, so that the stylus forms a laterally undulating spiral groove corresponding to the sound waves by the removal of a portion of the film from the disk. The disk provided with this record groove is then submerged in a copper sulfate solution and combined as an anode with a copper cathode submerged therewith. The solution is electrolyzed by means of a low voltage current with decomposition of the copper where exposed along the lateral undulating or zigzag line and production in the copper disk of a fine laterally undulating or zig-zag groove corresponding to the sound waves. During the electrolytic action, the coated disk is preferably revolved in the bath for the purpose of producing a uniform and satisfactory groove. The desired record groove having been formed in the disk, it is removed from the bath and has the film or coating removed therefrom, suitably by washing with gasolene.

Electro-types are produced from this original record according to known processes, as by dipping in cyanid of potassium and silver nitrate solutions and electrolytically depositing copper to form a male or pressing record from which commercial reoords are produced by molding in the usual or any desired way.

While I have described a specific form of my invention, it will be understood that such Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1911'.

Application filed May 31, 1917. Serial No. 171,875.

form is by Way of illustration and not of limitation, since it is evident that the invention may be embodied variously, as by the use of cylinder instead of disks, and contemplates broadly the electrolytic production of a record groove corresponding to sound waves.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The process of making records which comprises coating a metal surface With a protecting film, forming in said film an undulating groove corresponding to sound waves with exposure of the metal at the bottom of said groove, and electrolytically decomposing the exposed metal with the production therein of an undulating groove correspond. ing to said sound waves.

2. The process of making records which comprises coating a metal disk with a protecting film, forming in said film a laterally undulating spiral groove corresponding to sound vibrations so as to correspondingly expose said metal, and electrolytically decomposing the exposed metal with production in said disk of a laterally undulating electrolyzed groove corresponding to said sound vibrations.

3. The process of making records which consists in coating a copper disk with a protecting film, forming a spiral groove having lateral undulations corresponding to sound vibrations in said film so as to correspondingly expose the surface of said disk, and electrolytically removing the exposed metal while moving said disk in electrolyte with production in said disk of a spiral groove having lateral undulations corresponding to said sound vibrations.

4. The process of making records which consists in coating a metal body with a protecting film, forming a spiral groove having lateral undulations corresponding to sound waves in said film so as to correspondingly expose the surface of said body, electrolytically removing by means of low voltage current exposed metal with production of a spiral groove having lateral undulations corresponding to said sound waves, electrolytically producing male molding forms from said record, and pressing records by means of said forms.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name this 28th day of May, 1917.

JOHN KAISER. 

